Graham and Dobson

What Graham and Dobson does

Graham & Dobson Ltd is a privately held chartered accounting firm headquartered in Gisborne, New Zealand, tracing its origins to 1898 when Andrew Graham commenced practice, joined by Ralph Dobson in 1906. The firm operates from a single office at 393 Gladstone Road, Gisborne, and currently employs over 30 staff including five principals (Richard Stannard, Barbara Johnstone, Debbie Barwick, Callum Thompson, and Fern Sutherland). It serves the Gisborne/East Coast region with a client base concentrated in farming/agriculture, commercial SMBs, individuals, trusts, and not-for-profit organizations including Maori Incorporations and charities.

The firm's service portfolio spans traditional compliance work (accounting and bookkeeping, payroll, income tax, GST, audit) and higher-value advisory services (farm accounting and benchmarking, succession and estate planning, business valuations, selling/advisory, financial and strategic planning, budgeting and cashflow forecasting). Technology enablement is delivered through formalized partnerships: Xero Gold Partner status, MYOB Certified Consultant credentials, and a domain-specific partnership with Farm Focus for rural clients. It also distributes Audit Shield Insurance (underwritten by Vero) and operates a secure online client portal at grahamdobson.portal.accountants. The firm does not publish pricing or fee schedules; services are quoted on an engagement basis and billed under standard professional services models (hourly or fixed fee).

The business model is a fee-based professional services firm relying on community reputation, client referrals, and a structured 'Ethical Letter' transition process for new client acquisition, supplemented by a bi-monthly newsletter and an active regional sponsorship program. The firm maintains no external investors, no disclosed M&A activity, no funding rounds, and no patents or trademarks. There is no apparent technology product line or platform commercialisation beyond the reselling and configuration of third-party accounting software.

Name

Graham and Dobson

Legal name

Graham & Dobson Ltd

Website

https://grahamdobson.co.nz

Company type

Private

Founded year

1898

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Graham & Dobson is a privately held chartered accounting firm founded in 1898, headquartered in Gisborne, New Zealand, with 30+ employees and five principals serving farming, commercial SMB, individual, trust, and not-for-profit clients across the Gisborne/East Coast region.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Chartered Accounting Services

NAICS

Offices of Certified Public Accountants (541211)

SIC

Investment Advice (6282)

akta.pro primary industry

Financial Reporting & Technical Accounting Advisory (GAAP/IFRS) (BPAHABAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

Estate Planning & Trust Structuring Advisory (FSAEAKAC), Charitable Giving & Philanthropic Trust Advisory (FSAEAKAH)

Keywords

• Chartered accounting services
• Tax preparation services
• Business advisory services
• Farm accounting
• Audit and assurance services

Headquarters

HQ city

Gisborne

HQ country

New Zealand

HQ region

Oceania

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Professional Accounting Services: Fee-based professional accounting services including auditing, bookkeeping, tax preparation and advisory. Revenue generated through professional service fees with no public pricing disclosed.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Graham and Dobson is a chartered accounting firm based in Gisborne, New Zealand, operating continuously since 1898. The firm delivers professional accounting, taxation, audit, payroll, business advisory, and specialist farm accounting services to farming/agricultural, commercial, individual, trust, and not-for-profit clients in the Gisborne region. It combines traditional chartered accountancy expertise with adoption of modern cloud accounting platforms (Xero, MYOB) and specialist farm benchmarking tools.

Product overview

Graham & Dobson is a chartered accounting firm offering a comprehensive suite of professional services to individuals and businesses in Gisborne, New Zealand. Their core offering consists of traditional accounting and tax services (bookkeeping, payroll, income tax, GST, audit) delivered alongside specialist services for business lifecycle needs (company formation, estate planning, succession planning, business sales, valuations). They provide online accounting services through partnerships with three platforms: Xero (Gold Partner status), MYOB (Certified Consultant), and Farm Focus. Additional offerings include farm-specific services (farm accounting, farm benchmarking), financial planning, strategic planning, and Audit Shield Insurance. The firm operates as a unified service practice rather than a modular software product, with services tailored to each client's specific situation.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Accounting and Bookkeeping

Named customers5 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• XerocoreTechnology or IntegrationGraham & Dobson are Xero Gold Partners, offering cloud-based accounting software implementation, training, and ongoing support to clients. Xero provides intelligent banking, online invoicing, real-time reports, and mobile access.
• MYOBcoreTechnology or IntegrationCertified MYOB Consultant offering MYOB Business platform implementation with payroll and accounting capabilities. Graham & Dobson provides conversion assistance and ongoing support.
• Farm FocuscoreTechnology or IntegrationSpecialized cloud-based accounting software partner for rural/farming clients. Graham & Dobson offers Farm Focus implementation and support with specialized wagebook functionality.
• Vero Liability Insurance LimitedminorOthersUnderwriter of the Audit Shield Master Policy that Graham & Dobson offers to clients to cover professional fees incurred during IRD audits, enquiries, investigations or reviews.
• Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand (CA ANZ)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGraham & Dobson is proud sponsor of the Gisborne Region Financial Assistance Fund for accounting students, administered by CA ANZ with regional business support. Scholarship up to $4,500 for studies.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Deloitte New Zealand: One of the Big 4 accounting firms operating across NZ. Deloitte competes with Graham & Dobson at the upper end of the regional commercial client market, with broader service offerings in audit, consulting, tax, and financial advisory that smaller firms cannot match.
• PwC New Zealand: One of the Big 4 accounting firms with a national NZ presence. While PwC focuses on larger enterprises, it competes with Graham & Dobson for mid-market and commercial clients in regional NZ and represents the type of national competitor that could expand into Gisborne.
• EY New Zealand: One of the Big 4 accounting firms operating in NZ. EY competes with Graham & Dobson for larger commercial and NFP audit engagements in regional NZ, with broader service offerings and international network reach that smaller firms cannot replicate.
• KPMG New Zealand: One of the Big 4 accounting firms with a national NZ presence. While KPMG does not focus on Gisborne/East Coast SMB clients the way Graham & Dobson does, it competes for larger commercial clients in the region and offers deeper specialist resources in audit, tax, and advisory work.

Direct peers

• RSM New Zealand: A mid-tier international accounting network with a NZ presence serving SMB and mid-market clients. RSM NZ competes with Graham & Dobson for farming, commercial, and not-for-profit clients in regional NZ, offering similar compliance and advisory services with international network reach.
• Crowe New Zealand: A national NZ accounting and advisory firm serving mid-market and SMB clients across multiple regions. Crowe NZ competes with Graham & Dobson for commercial and farming clients in regional NZ with comparable audit, tax, and advisory service offerings.
• BDO New Zealand: BDO operates a Gisborne office and is the most direct local competitor to Graham & Dobson. BDO Gisborne was formerly McCullochs, where current Graham & Dobson principal Callum Thompson previously worked. Both firms serve the same farming and commercial SMB client base with full-service accounting, audit, and advisory offerings.
• Markhams NZ: A New Zealand chartered accountancy firm with regional offices serving SMB and farming clients. Markhams competes with Graham & Dobson in regional NZ markets with comparable traditional accounting, tax, and advisory services.
• Baker Tilly Staples Rodway: A mid-tier NZ accounting and advisory firm with regional offices serving SMB and farming clients. Comparable in size and service mix to Graham & Dobson, with similar Xero/MYOB partnerships and a focus on regional NZ markets outside the main centers.
• PKF New Zealand: A mid-tier NZ accounting firm with regional presence serving SMB clients. Comparable service offering to Graham & Dobson including tax compliance, audit, and business advisory, with similar client profile of farming and commercial businesses.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/graham-and-dobson-ltd

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Graham and Dobson